House Judiciary Committee Recommends Judge's Impeachment
A federal judge who hoped to keep his salary for another year, despite a prison sentence that begins on Monday, encountered another roadblock today.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 28-0 to recommend that the full House vote to impeach Judge Sam Kent, the Houston Chronicle reports. The last time the committee voted in favor of impeaching a federal judge was 20 years ago, according to the Tex Parte blog.
The action makes it possible for the full House to vote before the July 4 recess, which could set the stage for a Senate trial in August.
The vote comes just one day after a task force referred four articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee. Kent was sentenced to 33 months in prison after his guilty plea for obstruction of justice, part of a plea bargain in which he admitted to nonconsensual sexual contact with two court employees.
Kent has announced his resignation—effective June 1, 2010. In the meantime, he plans to collect his $174,000 annual salary and health benefits. U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, complained during today’s hearing that Kent is “gaming the system. … That’s why we are here today to put an end to Judge Kent’s abuse of authority and the American taxpayers.”
